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(1796–1875). One of the leading French painters of the 19th century was Camille Corot, who also helped inspire the impressionists. He was one of the greatest of the Barbizon school, a group of artists who did much of their work at the little village of Barbizon on the edge of the forest of Fontainebleau. Besides his landscapes and figures, his oil sketches, remarkable for their technical freedom and clear color, have come to be highly regarded.

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot was born in Paris on July 16, 1796. After attending college at Rouen, he went to work for his father to learn the trade of a cloth merchant. Corot did not like the work, and after five years he won his parents’ consent to study art. They supported him for many years, even after he had won acclaim, because he sold few of his paintings before the 1850s.

Corot studied under teachers in Paris and Rome and later traveled throughout Europe in search of new scenes to paint. From the beginning, he preferred to sit outdoors, sketching what he saw and learning by first-hand experience. His work acquired a mastery of balance and gradation of light and dark tones, which he felt was more important than the choice of color. His first important work, The Bridge at Narni, was shown at the Paris Salon in 1827.

The peaceful landscapes Corot painted reflect his happy life. For many years only his pupils and fellow artists found beauty in the quiet tones and shades he used for misty dawns, hazy trees, and mirroring waters. By the 1850s, collectors and dealers were eagerly seeking his pictures. He won several medals and was made an officer of the Legion of Honor. Late in life he began to earn great sums for his work; but he continued to live simply, and he generously helped young painters and others. He died on Feb. 22, 1875, in Paris.

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